Hate Thy Neighbor
by TiniHaris
Summary: Years of being Spirit Detective and Human World's main defender has made it's toll on Yusuke, and in true Yusuke fashion he has no desire or will to fix himself. The universe has a habit of sending help in the form of mysterious strangers, but could She truly fix him, or break him even further? YusukexOCxHiei
1. Ve with an E

**Hello my Little Loves! Lovely to be back. I missed fanficiton, and all of you. So I'm giving it one more go because- who cares! This story focuses a lot on mental health and overcoming obstacles in life. I've been drafting this for forever now and I'm happy and a little proud of myself for typing it out. I feel like there are a few things missing in YYH fan fiction that I want to see more of,**

 **Overcoming grief - Like...how could any of the main characters not have struggled with any PTSD after all they went through**

 **Queer representation - It's about time dammit**

 **Characters of Color - BECAUSE IT'S ABOUT TIME DAMMIT!**

 **Not to say that there isn't beautiful fan fiction out there that already has these, I'm merely hoping I can add to the small collection.(also if you have a favorite fanfic that addresses some of these things, send it over to me!) I know where I'm going in this story, but not too sure when I'll be posting again. I do hope love it. I'll try to post again soon.**

 **TINI**

* * *

Something was up. Yusuke could sense it. He wasn't book-smart like Kurama, optimistic like Kuwabara, or stealthy like Hiei. But he was street smart, and that was a skill all of its own. He had a urban intuition that put all scientific intel to shame.

There was something wrong with his neighbor. His sarcastic, aloof , dog loving, weirdo of a neighbor.

Although Yusuke came off as a friendly, save the day type of guy, Yusuke was not a people person. He had trust issues; even though the years as a Spirit Detective had taught him to see the good in everyone, his fragile inner psyche was always closed off to the idea of meeting new people..And as of late, the prospect of being friendly to anyone was an immediate pass. So, Yusuke loved not having neighbors.

He was fortunate that his new apartment complex had very few tenants; and those who were occupying the building were either old or reclusive, which made perfect neighbors for a young man who didn't want others knowing his business. Or his raging emotions for that matter.

Two years after the first Demon Unification Tournament when Yusuke returned to the human realm he had decided to relocate across town, leaving his mother in his old apartment as he recently preferred to live on his own and in a neighborhood that wasn't as high class and as fancy. Kurama had told him he didn't have to move; the fox also informed him of his massive wealth from Tourin, as well as offering him a place to stay within his own apartment. But, Yusuke was never a man who wanted or needed to be doted on. He was the one that always cared for others before himself. The idea of being watched or looked after left a sour taste in his mouth. And, on top of that, he hated accepting favors from others. The money he was making at the midnight ramen stand for wayward demons was more than enough to afford a modest one bedroom apartment in a semi-safe part of town. This new apartment building had six units, two on each floor. The neighbors above and below him were old and kept to themselves. And no one lived in the unit next to Yusukes. It was great. He could live in peace without worry of prying eyes.

Yusuke just wanted to be alone. Things were different now. Everyone had lives. Everyone had moved on. Everyone except him. Kuwabara was doing great things. He finished high school at the top of his class and was enrolled in a medical university; he would make a great doctor one day. Kurama had gone off to work for his father's company. He didn't even go to college. His mother was shocked at first, but once her husband's tech company received a positive quarterly sales revenue everyone's minds were put at ease. Even Hiei had a life- well, patrol duty and living under Mukuro's wrath wasn't much of a life but point being everyone was settling into their own lives. Even through all of their trials and tribulations; the near death experiences, it didn't phase them. They all got on with it. Everyone had just, moved on. Everyone was happy (even Hiei). Everyone except Yusuke.

For Yusuke, life was at a standstill. And as the world and the people in his life moved on to normalcy, everything for him became a blur. It started with nightmares; the terrors of his soul leaving his body, his friends dying in front of him and Keiko, one of the greatest things that had happened to him, clinging to life in his arms. He would jolt awake, covered in sweat and clasping the bedsheets until they were nothing but tattered rags. Then the nightmares slipped into daytime. There were moments when all would be well and then his body would freeze. His blood would begin to rush through his veins; he'd break into a sweat and his breath would be unable to leave his lips. It was like dying all over again. And nothing could stop it except running into a secluded room and cowering in the corner.

Yusuke. Winner of the Dark Tournament. Former Detective of the Spirit Realm. Defender of Human and Demon World. A King! Now cowering in a dark corner trying to fend off his own impulsive imagination.

At fist he was great at hiding it; anytime his energy spiked he would make up excuses. He had errands to run, a business call from the Spirit Realm, a piss to take in the bathroom. Then, as things got harder, and his friends grew wiser he ran out of lies to tell. Errands became I'm busy, and trips to the bathroom became piss off. Daily meetings became weekly, then monthly, or nothing at all. Yusuke began to withdraw from his friends; he had a habit of surrounding himself with some of the most intuitive people, and they could all easily read through his 'I'm fine' charade. Even Keiko.

Damnit, _Keiko_.

Shortly after Yusuke returned he and Keiko officially dated, but even in their perfect, happy little world he managed to distance himself from her. Keiko had grown up as well. And she eventually needed space of her own.

"You made me wait all these years to finally be with you. Can you wait a few more for me?" She had asked him as she handed over the acceptance letter. Tokyo University. A full scholarship nonetheless. They were lucky to have her.

"You sure you don't want to find yourself a nice man in the big city?" Was his answer; the words just fell out of his mouth. She looked devastated. He was such a fuck up. He loved her, but for now he had to push her away. Just like everyone else.

His days were all the same.

Wake up at dusk.

Check his answering machine with no intention to return any calls. Delete all of them.

Go to the ramen shop.

Make ramen.

Run errands for demons.

Make more ramen.

Close at dawn.

Come home, and go right back to bed to stare at the ceiling in hopes to fall asleep.

To him. This was the life. Everything was fine. Then, everything changed.

She showed up.

She, being the worst neighbor in all three realms.

It was a normal morning and Yusuke was just returning from a late night at work; he didn't know what day it was as all of the days were beginning to blur into a never-ending loop. Work was average, there were no requests that were too bizarre from demons that would give Yusuke pause, just the usual run of the mill requests; fake id's, passports, documents, and the occasional ramen bowl. The worlds were in a unprecedented time of peace; it was so bizarre not have to fear and fight for your own life everyday. Yusuke kind of missed it.

As he walked up the stairs towards his unit floor he paused as he saw the door next to his own wide open. There were boxes outside on their shared porch. Music was playing. Loud, pulsating music that carried no succinct rhythm that caused the ex-detective's brain to become fuzzy. He cautiously took steps forwards until he was standing in the doorway to the once vacant apartment. There were more boxes, a couch, the windows were open; there was even a dog bowl and pile of food. All the signs of life were present in this apartment. Damn, he was getting a new neighbor. And they had a pet.

"Yo, peeping tom are you?"

Her voice nearly startled him. He turned to see a young woman staring directly at him; A vase wrapped in newspaper was nuzzled in her arms. She meet Yusuke in his height, meaning that her piercing hazel eyes stared directly at him, even to the point of where she was looking into his soul rather than his face. Was she a demon? No, she didn't look it. She had no extra appendages. They looked more similar than different; she looked about the same age as Yusuke, maybe a few years older. And she bore a similar look on her face that read both intrigue and 'don't ask too many questions'. She brown skin and short black hair that was curly and tied into a short bun at the back of her head. Her body was dressed in an oversized gray sweater and black jogger pants. He couldn't accurately tell how big or thin she was. She definitely wasn't from here. That was certain.

She continued to stare at him with eyes void of all emotion before speaking, "You know the last neighbor I had was real creep. You wanna know what happened to him?"

Yusuke raised an eyebrow, "Sure, enlighten me."

She leaned in towards his direction, her eyes suspiciously looking around before plainly stating, "He died...no really, he had a heart attack, it was very sad-his family was devastated."

Yusuke gave her a perplexed look. That deadpan, monotonous, void of emotion tone of voice sounded so eerily familiar. _You and Hiei would be best friends_. "Was that...supposed to scare me?"

"I dunno, I'm not your emotions." With that she rolled back on her feet and walked into her apartment, using her hips to push the door closed behind her. Yusuke stood in silence before the faint sound of music began to pulse through the wooden door. Eventually he walked backwards and retreated into his own home.

* * *

The next three days were pure hell. They kept bumping into each other. It was one thing to have a neighbor, it was another to have one that you kept seeing over and over. The woman had an odd schedule just like him. She would wake up early in the morning, and be leaving her apartment just as Yusuke was heading home from a long night at work. The first day he bumped into her was when she was heading out on one of her morning walks. She always dressed in the same baggy athletic wear; this time she had a duffel bag strapped to her body and her dog close to her side. Her dog was just as weird as she was! Yusuke watched her pick up the pooch, which was a very large, Siberian Husky, and carry her down the steps of the apartment. When she passed Yusuke she glanced at him before stating, "She's afraid of stairs."

"I didn't ask." Yusuke grumbled while continuing forward.

"Not outwardly." Her comment made Yusuke stop in his tracks. The woman just continued, before setting her dog on the ground to begin their stroll.

On the second day, Yusuke decided to take some action. Before heading out to work at sunset he decided to knock on his neighbor's door. The woman answered, still dressed the same and with the same sour, emotionless look on her face.

"I feel like we got off on the wrong foot the other day. I wanted to introduce myself." Yusuke began while resting an elbow on the door frame. The woman looked unamused but stood around to listen. "I'm Urameshi. Yusuke Urameshi."

There. Now she knew his name. If she was a demon (which he was still on the fence with) then she would definitely know his name. And know that he was a demon not to be messed with or bothered as a neighbor.

The woman smirked while leaning her arm on the door frame, mimicking his pose, "Yeah well I'm Ve, with an E."

"Any last name to that?" Yusuke questioned.

Ve shrugged, "Just Ve. And that's my dog, Doofy."

Upon hearing her name. The husky skirted across the wooden floor into view, nearly tumbling over onto the floor. Doofy poked it's head up towards Yusuke, giving the man a confused look before trotting over to sniff at lick at his pants.

"Yeah, I originally named her Daisy, but I mean, look at her."

Yusuke glanced down at met eyes with the dog who was now staring at him agin. He didn't know a dog could look so awkward. Doofy's ears were flicked while she craned her neck, giving three layers of rolls to her fur. The tip of her tongue poked out of her mouth, adding a final layer of cuteness to her.

"Could you believe that no one wanted her at the pound? This poor little," Ve bent down and grabbed at the dog's cheeks, "beautiful baby girl. She's perfect in her own, Doofy looking way."

Yusuke watched as Doofy reveled in her masters praises by wagging her tail. Ve laughed before eyeing Yusuke, "Do you need anything else? I mean…we're kind of having a moment here." With that she pushed the door closed, once again shutting him out with a confused look on his face.

The third day was much different. While he was returning home from work Ve was there out on her usual morning stroll with Doofy. Again, she was carrying the dog in her arms as she walked down the stairs. Seriously? Who owns a dog who can't do steps when you live on the second floor of a walkup apartment?!

"Hey weirdo." She said casually while setting the husky down.

"You have no last name, you walk your dog down the steps and you're just…really, really creepy. But I'm the weirdo?"

She huffed while shrugging her shoulders, "Different strokes for different folks. By the way, there's someone waiting for you up there."

Yusuke's face turned red, "Huh? W-who?"

She continued walking, "I don't know your friends. C'mon Doofy."

Yusuke began to walk backwards, watching Ve as she walked into the crowds of people. Eventually he turned towards his apartment, and the reality he so desperately wanted to avoid.

"Urameshi. Where-"

"Hey, Kuwabara."

The orange haired man still towered over Yusuke. He hadn't changed much in the years they've been apart. Kuwabara traded his blue uniform for a pair of hospital scrubs, though they were still equally blue in their color. He even had a bit of a orange mustache growing below his nose. He adapted back into life perfectly while Yusuke was barely hanging on.

"Where have you been? I've tried calling you. I've left like a dozen voicemails."

 _And I've deleted every single one_. "I know, I know. I'm just…super busy that's all."

"Too busy to see your friends?"

Yusuke dropped his eyes to the floor. Kuwabara took a step forward, "C'mon."

"Where are we going?"

"We need to talk. You look like you could use something to eat…and a shower. But I'm not giving you a bath! I do enough of that stuff at work." Kuwabara gave Yusuke the look that his decision was not up for discussion; he even slung his arms over his shoulders, literally giving him no room for escape.

Damnit.

* * *

They took a walk to a nearby diner. Kuwabara ordered breakfast for the two of them, even giving Yusuke extra coffee. He began rambling on about his life like there wasn't an awkward rift between the two of them. He talked about medical school, Yukina; apparently she was going to school as well. After Yusuke forged human documents for her a few years back she was quickly adapting to the human life. Shizuru was even dating someone. Life seemed pretty swell for his little family.

"Yeah, I made Kurama do a background check on this guy." Kuwabara said between mouthfuls, "He's seems pretty good. But he's gotta be a little crazy for wanting to date my sister."

"Yeah…" Yusuke added softly while stirring his coffee into a vortex. Even though there were only a few patrons with them in the cafe, Yusuke was beginning to feel suffocated. All the noise felt like a large echo's against his eardrums. He could hear the couple behind him grind their silverware against the plates while they dug into their food. There was a child sitting on a barstool rubbing a yellow ballon with his sticky little fingers. The sound was exhausting. All of it was exhausting. And having to listen to the normalcy of Kuwabara's seemingly perfect life,

now that was unbearable.

"So, what's going on with you?"

"Eh…"

"Hey." Kuwabara's tone turned serious, "I mean, what's really going on? You've been acting really off lately. It's hard to track you down. You haven't spoken to any of us in weeks, and were all getting worried-"

"I'm fine."

Kuwabara continued on, "Kurama told me you needed to work this out in your own time. But I can't just watch you whither away into nothing man. We all care about you, even Hiei."

Yusuke let out a dry laugh, "Even Hiei? I'm sure that little bastard's in knots over me." Yusuke contemplated drowning himself in his coffee cup. He was beginning to feel the temperature in the room raise, the sounds began to alter in their pitch; the spacious cafe began to feel smaller. He just wanted to leave.

"He does care you know. We all do-"

"I get it!" Yusuke spoke rather loudly, he was now gripping the table, "You all care. But I'm really fine. I just want to be alone-" His words caught in his throat as at thunderous roar filled the room.

"Aww honey, did you pop your ballon?"

Everything began to spin. Yusuke's dormant heart began pick up speed, thumping throughout his entire body. His throat began to tighten as if he was being strangled by his own breath. His palms began to sweat and the room felt like it was shaking. As he closed his eyes to calm himself he opened them to a familiar scene. The cafe had transformed into a cave, the chairs became boulders and the floor was now in waves of water and sand. Yusuke glanced down at himself; He was now shirtless, sitting there with a gaping hole in his chest. Then he heard it. That laugh. That cold malicious laugh. It was Sensui.

"Hey, Yusuke…Yusuke? Yusuke!"

The man blinked again, he was now staring at Kuwabara, who was now towering over him with a concerned look on his face. His large hands were on his shaking shoulders. The table in front of them was split into two and the cafe's glass windows were full of cracks.

"I have to go, now!" Yusuke leaped up and shoved his friend aside, knocking down the cafe doors as he barreled into the street. His brain was triggering each of the senses in his body, making his reality hard to decipher. With each blink the scenery around him turned into a cave, and back to the streets, and back to the cave. He needed to get out of here, fast. With every bit of his strength he stumbled forward and down the street back towards his apartment. With each step he felt his vision narrow as his world felt like it was collapsing on top of him. Climbing up the stairs he finally made it to his apartment, not bothering to unlock the door as he kicked it open. With his energy now waining he crawled into the bathroom and rolled his body into a ball against the tile flooring. Pinching his eyes closed he began to take a few deep breaths.

 _We're not dying. It's all in your head._

 _It's all in your head._

 _We're not dying._

 _It's all in your head._

"It's all in my head." He murmured between irregular breaths.

"Wanna join?"

Ve's monotonous voice jerked Yusuke's head from between his legs. From his defeated position he made eyes with the young woman who was currently soaking in the tub, her head was only visible while the rest of her was shielded by a thick layer of bubbles. She greeted him with a plain, unamused face while she puffed the air, splashing bubbles on the still shaking man.

"You seem out of sorts." She began.

"What are you doing naked in my house?!" Yusuke shouted.

She widened her eyes, "Your house?"

He glanced around' clean floors, green bath towels. Why did his home looks so, unfamiliar.

"Oh shit."

"You're gonna pay me back for the door." Ve said while reaching for her bar of soap, "But, first, you wanna talk about something?"

"Not really."

"C'mon. I love a good story with my bubble bath."

Yusuke sighed, the room was beginning to slow in it's rotations, and he, for the first time in the past fifteen minutes, felt sane. "You wouldn't even believe me if I told you."

Droplets of water splashed on his face, "Try me, tough guy?"

He took a long, deep breath, "When I was fourteen I was hit by a car…"


	2. You break it, you fix it

**Many thanks to livesinasong13 for the first favoring of my fic. May I bestow upon you pizza and twizzler candies (and if you don't like twizzlers, i'm sorry, but I don't know if we can continue this friendship).**

* * *

Yusuke wasn't much of a personal talker. Sure, he loved to talk smack to his enemies, lift up his team with encouraging words, and gloat his victories to all that would hear it. But when it came down to intimate conversations, especially ones where he was talking about himself, he fell silent. Save for his conversation with Ve.

It's crazy to think that four years could be summed up in a period of three hours. And Yusuke was surprised at the words that poured from his mouth. His mouth mimicked that of a running faucet; he didn't even pause between sentences, all the words were there at the tip of his tongue, almost waiting to come out.

He laid spread out on the bathroom floor, his back pressed against the tile while his arms rested over his stomach, telling his story. He was unusually specific, he was surprised his memory was so sharp. He was able to recall the colors of leaves when he had his first duel with Gouki in the forest; the smell of the wood paneling in Tarukane's compound; the sound of his skull cracking against the weight of Toguro's hand during the final round of that infamous tournament. And the agonizing pain of his heart while watching Kuwabara, his dearest and perhaps closest friend (whom he'd just abandoned at a cafe earlier) stabbed near to death in front of him during that god-forsaken tournament. It was all fresh in his memory. And he didn't stop there. He shared everything with no lack of detail. He mentioned Keiko, Hiei, Genkai, Koenma, Botan, even diving into Kurama's secret past; he hoped sharing that part wouldn't come and bite him in the ass in the near future. He couldn't stop himself. Every single memory he had was tumbled out into this strangers lap. All on the floor of the bathroom. How poetic.

And Ve just sat there in the bathtub. Ocasically Yusuke would hear the water ripple as she moved about, and sometimes she did ask the occasional question or ask for clarification. But she just took it all in. Ve eventually kicked him out of the bathroom to dry off and get dressed, and the pair were now settled in her living room. Yusuke was settled in a brown armchair while his own arms were resting on his thighs as he leaned forward. Ve was standing in the small kitchen a few feet away pouring a brown liquor into two glasses. She was dressed in the same oversized shirt and pants; Yusuke was now beginning to question what secrets she was hiding.

"Okay, let me get this straight." Ve commented while passing through the living room, handing a glass to Yusuke before sitting on the couch next to Doofy, who was engaged in a mid afternoon nap, "You're a former spirit detective, turned demon, who died twice-"

"Just once, technically-the second was more of a rebirth of sorts. I didn't really die, my soul didn't leave like last time, so…"

She took a deep sip of her drink, "I see…So you mean to tell me that you've died a few times, risked your life for strangers basically, were forced into a tournament, saved the world from a psycho, and then fought in a second tournament because your demon daddy ancestor was a king and you had to save another world. Am I getting all this right?"

Yusuke sighed and pressed his back against the chair. He took a sip from his glass and cringed slightly as the bitter liquid made its way down his throat, " _That_ pretty much sums it up. What is this stuff?"

"You seemed like a Brandy kind of guy." Ve answered, "Anyways, and while everyone else seems to be getting on with life you're freaking out and breaking into your neighbors apartment?"

"I thought it was my apartment, okay?"

"Whatever you say, pal."

The two began to silently stare at each other. Yusuke was unsure what to do. He just told his neighbor, a stranger basically, every detail about his life and all she did was nod and ask the occasional question. Now they were just sitting there in silence. What else was there to say?!

"I'm sorry."

The two words nearly caused him to double over in the chair, "What?"

Ve crossed her legs, causing the leather couch to groan and Doofy to stir from her sleep. She glanced up at Ve before looking at Yusuke. Her fluffy tail began wagging. Ve smirked at the tender display, while petting at her dogs fur, "I said I'm sorry. I'm sorry that happened to you, no wonder you're a basket case."

"I just told you that demons were real. That I died a few times-"

"I thought you said you technically died once-"

"It doesn't matter!" The force of his words cause his body to jolt upright. Ve's dark eyes followed him, her body remained unmoving, "Usually when you tell a normal person that their talking to a resurrected demon they kinda' freak out. But you're telling me you're sorry?! What the hell is wrong with you? Why are you talking to me like I'm a normal human being because I'm not!"

"Stop shouting, you're scaring my dog."

Yusuke glanced down at Doofy, who was currently curled on the couch with her white tail nuzzled against her leg. Her head tucked into Ve's thigh, and a blue eye was peaking out towards the raging young man. Apparently his outburst was more than just words, his energy was wavering from his body and the glasses on the coffee table in front of them were beginning to shake. He took an immediate deep breath, and the room began to settle again.

"Uh-sorry about that. I didn't mean-I can't control "

"That's your problem." Ve interjected while stroking Doofy's ears, "You can't control your emotions. And it's understandable. Look," She stretched once more before standing to meet eyes with the former detective, "I don't know you, and I'm still decided on whether or not I like you, but in the past four years of of your life were surrounded by trauma; bizarre, unorthodox, unique, and quite frankly otherworldly trauma. But it's trauma nonetheless. The stress your body and mind went through is now manifesting itself into uncontrollable fits of panic, and in your case they have the ability to cause harm to yourself and others. So you need to get your emotions under control."

"Well yeah," While Yusuke's energy has claimed his tone still remained quite irritated, "I know that. It's a lot harder than it looks ya know."

"No one said it would be easy. But you have to do something. You can't live like this. And I, as your neighbor, sure as hell isn't."

As much as Yusuke admired the bitterness and bleakness of his neighbor, the topic was becoming too positive for his still sour appetite. Without hesitation, he changed subjects, "So, what's the deal with you? Are you like, a psychic or something?"

She snorted while taking another sip of her drink. Yusuke pressed further, "So you're a demon then?"

"I've been called one a few times, but I'd say it was more towards my…personality than my genealogy."

"But you're…"

"Not Japanese?" She answered for him, "Yeah I'm a foreigner, or Gaijin-whatever your culture calls it. I'm brown skinned with super short, curly, clearly non Japanese hair. I had to know Japanese at my last employment and now I live here, so what?"

"So…where did-"

"Just because you broke into my apartment spilled all your secrets doesn't mean I'm obligated to tell you mine."

Yusuke pouted his lips, "But-"

"I'm glad to see your boyish charm is returning," Ve interrupted. She stretched her arms while getting up from the couch. Yusuke watched her walk back into the kitchen to grab a small bag from one of the lower cabinets. Returning, she handed it over to his now waiting hands, "but you have work to do."

He gave her confused look, causing her to point towards the front door, "You break it, you fix it."

"Oh."

Ve grabbed her black duffel bag and walked towards the open doorway, "Be quick about it, okay? No offense, but I'd like to not see you when I come home." Doofy sensed her owners departure and leaped off the couch towards Ve to follow her out the door.

"You sure you trust me?" Yusuke asked. Sensing the genuine nature of his voice he added, "I could easily rummage through your stuff and find out who you really are."

"I know where you live, Yusuke Urameshi."

Yusuke watch the pair leave. Ve was such a peculiar woman. Yusuke didn't know anything about her, yet he sat with her for hours telling her all the events of his life, and didn't even care to ask her not to share it with anyone. But, for some strange and unknown reason, he trusted her. While she was indeed a stranger; a belligerent, deadpanned, emotionless stranger, he trusted the fact that she too had some secrets she wanted to keep hidden, and would do the same for Yusuke and his own.

Either that or he was entirely screwed. He decided to fix his attention on repairing the door versus the consequences of this loose tongue.

* * *

Across Town

"Hello Miss-"

"It's Ve. Just Ve."

"Right of course. You're a couple hours late today."

"I had a rather long conversation with my neighbor." Ve answered with a sly smile. Her hand reached into her pocket, withdrawing a small stack of cash. She handed it over to the gentleman in front of her who already had his hand out to accept the payment.

"Oh, you live next to a chatterbox eh? My one neighbor's like that. It's like you cant get them to shut up." Ve let out a small laugh and nodded, he returned the nod, "Well. You have the place to yourself, just don't get too crazy today, alright?"

"I wont."

The gentleman turned to leave, quickly patting Doofy on her fluffy head before his departure. Ve watched him go and listened for the click of the lock before she let out a sigh and set her bag down. The two beings were situated in a small room in an unknown building across town. There wasn't much to the space. There were worn wooden floors, thick cement walls, small glass windows that were tinted with condensation and age to keep out any preying eyes. The room had a few punching bags, arm lifts, and weight sets. The center of the space had a round padded ring for makeshift sparing matches.

Ve unzipped her duffel bag and began to disrobe herself of her sweatshirt and pants, revealing her rather muscular and tight body. Every inch of her was encased in thickened muscle. While her figure was lean and feminine, her body was dangerously toned. Placing her clothes in her bag she pulled out a pair of higher black leggings and a matching black sports bra. Her brown eyes scanned over the aged equipment before settling toward the cement wall. Taking a moment to tape up her arms she began to walk forward. Her dog followed, "Who knew Doofy? who knew that Japan was as mystical and creepy as everyone said it was?" Noticing her dog's lack of rebuttal she and stopped looked down at the husky, "What?"

The husky turned her head to the side, still staring. Ve huffed, "You think we should help him, don't you?"

The dog lout a bark of approval before stretching out on the floor for a nap.

"Well you heard him; demons, tournaments, territorial disputes, alliances and everyone trying to kill everyone. Doesn't that sound all too familiar?"

Doofy let out an uninterested puff.

"Of course you don't care, you're a dog." Ve eyed the stone wall in front of her, her hands slowly clenched into fists. "You don't have to worry about the consequences of allying yourself with people who keep secrets from you." As her body arched into a fighting stance her left arm struck a the wall, causing the young woman to wince as the pain vibrated through her body, "Okay, _fine_. I'll help him." She punched again, this time speckles of blood began to decorate her knuckles, "But I'm not," another punch, " _getting_ tangled up in someone else's mess. I wasn't trained to fix things," Her eyes narrowed before she threw a short, quick punch against the wall, indenting the cement and creating a ripple of small cracks across it's surface, "I was trained to break them."

* * *

 **See me with them hands, Ve.**

 **I'm quite excited about the next chapter, Kurama and Hiei both get a chance to interact with Ve, I wanted to add their introduction in this chapter, but I couldn't find the right fit. Hopefully you'll stick around for the next chapter.**

 **Much love. Have Pizza and Be Kind.**

 **XOXOTINI**


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